New PC Recommendations?

[andyz]

I am considering a new PC. What I have is Win 7 which is pretty good, a Dell, and it is 9 months old. It is actually my work PC (home office) and is owned by the company. I had an older Dell next to an HP Media Center PC on a KVM and networked so I could go back and forth. Then I got a new box from work and the KVM didn't work so my personal stuff was moved over. I'm considering going back to that setup.

I need recommendations? I use dual monitors and want the KVM system back. This Dell is 32-bit. I have since upgraded to CS5.

I admit I have allowed my geeky side to slip and haven't kept up with all the 32-bit 64-bit info. I assume 64 is the way to go, but is there backward compatibility automatically for 32-bit programs?

I'm looking for recommendations on configurations too, RAM, processor speed, etc. I usually get ancy and buy off the shelf but I may try the patience route here and order one that is up to Photoshop speed. Otherwise it is basic Office, web surfing stuff that I do.

[Rson]

Build it yourself.

8gb ram, AMD 965BE, Asus Mobo
Newegg.com - ASUS M4A88TD-M/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Yes on the compatibility and you can use more than 3.5gb of ram.

[utdbear]

I 2nd the building it yourself. I did Core i7 930, Gigabyte UD5 MB, 6GB RAM

[andyz]

I've never been inclined to build one on my own. I have a brother who has and I could consider paying him. In the long run do you get what you really want cheaper, or just get what you really want? One tech I know said you can always buy a machine cheaper than he'd charge because he'd use high quality parts and it would be a true gaming machine. Keeping the price reasonable wasn't a feature.

[utdbear]

What is your budget?

[Gambit]

Andy, you'll usually (not always) pay more for a PC when you build it yourself. The advantages are that you know exactly what's in there and it's generally higher quality that what you'd get prebuilt. The HUGE advantage is that you put that expense exactly where you need it, whether that be a high-power CPU, a boatload of RAM, a huge drive, super 3d graphics card, or professional-level sound.

64-bit is the way to go. Most 32-bit programs will work fine on 64-bit OS but there are exceptions; device drivers have been known to cause problems but most of that was resolved a while back. Might still be an issue with older peripherals. If you're mainly photoshopping I'd recommend you focus on RAM and HD space, CPU is important but secondary, and everything else at a basic level.

[andyz]

Since it is just the box, no monitors, I'd like to keep it at $800 to $1,000 if that is reasonable.

[KdLaneJr]

Andy,

Rich, Barry and Dan have collectively given you some good, solid info. To elaborate on the 64-bit a little; LR3 will install which ever version matches your OS (32-bit or 64-bit). CS4 and CS5 will install both versions on a 64-bit OS allowing you to load your 32-bit only plug-ins into a 32-bit plug-in directory.

I built recently and used some recommendations from Stanford Moore (Darktiger) and some newer reviews. My new system (box only) is based on the i7-920, Asus P6T Deluxe version 2 and 24gb of ram. I also used a Corsair H50 cpu cooler which helps keeps the system very quiet. I chose to spend some money on the case also and utilized a Corsair 800D. Building in it was new to me, but the end results are very clean and open allowing plenty of air circulation.

There are some things you shouldn't skimp on, such as the MB, power supply, processor cooling, processor, and ram. My experience so far indicates that the processor is more important than the ram and a system with 8gb of ram should be enough (and keeps ram costs down)

What I cannot speak to is how well CS5 is written to utilize the amd cores, although I can tell you that when CS5 and the onOne suite plug-ins need processor power, each will utilize all 8 threads on the i7 processor.

Whichever path you take I hope enjoy your new system.

[utdbear]

I am going to assume you're going to try to use your old drives(This is all from newegg.com and exactly what I have, I paid a little less than mine, but I also took my time and deal shopped):

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $289($20.00 rebate)

Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor - $289

CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model - $189($20.00 rebate)

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - $84.99($59.99 after rebate)

COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Black Steel, ABS Plastic, Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $129(comes with Mouse of all things)

EVGA 512-P3-N977-TR GeForce 9800 GT Superclocked Edition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - $119($89.99 after rebate)

Total Cost: $1,100

After Rebates: $1,005

That will last you at least 4 to 5 years.

[andyz]

So from this $1,000 would buy a build your own that would be pretty decent. Not sure I want to build my own though and I'll have to look into the cost of paying someone. I don't have the time to invest in building my own.

Any recommendations for a PC bought off the shelf?

[utdbear]

If you're dead set on not building anything, buy a used iMac and call it a day.

If you want a quality machine with quality parts thats gonna last you a long time, you're gonna have to build it yourself.

It's actually really easy. Took me 1 hour to build it all and 20 minutes of that was figuring out how to hook the fans up to the controller.

[Rson]

Originally Posted by andyz

So from this $1,000 would buy a build your own that would be pretty decent. Not sure I want to build my own though and I'll have to look into the cost of paying someone. I don't have the time to invest in building my own.

Any recommendations for a PC bought off the shelf?

Asus has had some pretty good off the shelf builds.

[Rson]

My build.....


ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM


Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case


Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ASUS M4A88TD-M/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard


SAPPHIRE 100297L Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ ATI Eyefinity Technology



CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply



PPA 2377 USB 2.0 Multi Card Reader


G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBECO


AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX


Subtotal: $932.87

Shipping: $13.87

[andyz]

Rich, does that come to you with an OS installed?

[Rson]

If I build it yes